Police: Men Rape Woman In Townhouse

Victim Stable At Hospital After Attackers Cut Her

NORTH LAUDERDALE - — A woman was raped, then slashed by two men who probably slipped into her townhouse while she was feeding ducks in her back yard Tuesday morning, police said.

The victim, 26, whom detectives would not name because of the nature of the attack, was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon at North Broward Medical Center, where she was being treated for cuts.

The victim, a mother of two, had moved into the neighborhood about a month ago, neighbors said.

North Lauderdale Police Capt. Lou Cavallo said the victim's children, who were at preschool when she was attacked, are being cared for by family members.

The woman had been feeding ducks in the back yard of her townhouse on Sussex Drive and went back inside for more bread.

The men apparently slipped in behind her through the open glass door, Cavallo said.

After raping her at knifepoint, the attackers used a steak knife to slash her across her arms, upper torso and legs, Cavallo said. They fled out the back door.

Her attackers gone, the woman stumbled out of her house and got the attention of a worker who was using a pressure cleaner on a neighbor's sidewalk. A neighborhood boy called police about 11:30 a.m.

Cavallo said there was no sign of forced entry and the attackers apparently removed nothing from her house. One of the suspects is described as a very thin black man standing 6 feet 3 inches tall. He was wearing a blue or red shirt, possibly flannel, and dark pants.

The woman could not estimate the height of the second suspect, but said he was shorter than the first, police said. He was also black and was wearing a green shirt, possibly flannel, and long pants.

Anyone with information on this case should call detectives Robert Edgerton or Debra Fredette at 722-5800.